1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to molded products of amorphous metal and manufacturing method for the same.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, as methods for manufacturing a molded product of amorphous metal (amorphous alloy), various methods are being proposed. In one of the methods, metal material is melted, rapid-cooled metal (alloy) powder is obtained by rapid cooling solidification of the metal material from the molten state, and the obtained rapid-cooled metal powder is solidified into a predetermined configuration at under a crystallizing temperature and true densified. In another method, molten metal and alloy are solidified with rapid cooling, and a molded product of amorphous metal in a predetermined configuration is directly obtained.
Most of the molded products of amorphous metal obtained by these methods, however, have small mass, and it is difficult to obtain bulk material applicable to a product such as a face of a golf club head. For this reason, although a method for obtaining a molded product of amorphous metal as bulk material by solidification of the rapid-cooled metal powder is also attempted, bulk material having sufficient strength characteristics, such as high strength and high toughness required as a face of a golf club head, etc., cannot be obtained.
And, as shown in FIG. 46A, on a method for making a molded product of amorphous metal in a predetermined configuration by press and rapid cooling of molten metal c (in further detail, a metal material placed on a lower mold b is melted by a high energy heat source, and the obtained molten metal c is pressed and formed into the predetermined configuration) with a press metal mold which consists of an upper mold a and a lower mold b having engagement portion, or with a press mold of which upper mold a and lower mold b each has a vertical face g extending to a parting line, respectively, inventors of the present invention have conducted experiments with repeating much trial and error. However, if the molten metal c is pressed by the upper mold a and the lower mold b, as shown in FIG. 46B and FIG. 47, excessive molten metal c flows in between the vertical face g of the upper mold a and the vertical face g of the lower mold b (a slight aperture d of the engagement portion), the molten metal c in the aperture d is rapidly cooled and becomes solidified flash f, and the flash f is a cause of various bad influences. That is to say, it is revealed that the vertical faces g of the upper mold a and the lower mold b are damaged by the flash f, or "galling" is generated by the flash f, and a product e (the molded product of amorphous metal) of a predetermined configuration and a predetermined thickness dimension h cannot be obtained because the metal mold cannot be closed for the molten metal c flowing into the engagement portion (the aperture d). Further, it is also revealed that the metal mold itself is worn down by the bad closing, and the life span of the metal mold is shortened thereby.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a molded product of amorphous metal having excellent strength characteristics, and manufacturing methods with which the molded product of amorphous metal can be easily made.